Baby Proofing Your House for Twin Toddlers

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Is your toddler at an age where they are getting into any and everything? Baby Proofing or “Toddler Proofing” is so important in the toddler stage.

Baby proofing- or toddler-proofing- is something you probably have already thought about or done if you have a little one.  But here are some things I have done with my twin toddlers (who are into ANY and EVERYTHING) that work for us.

My boys are so active all the time!  It really stresses me out if they are around unsafe things because I can’t keep my eyes in two places at one time (a twin mom problem).  

Do you worry about your little one getting into things or climbing on things? I do- All. The. Time.  That’s when I had to seriously baby proof – or “toddler-proof” my home.  

My house had always been baby proofed since they were born.  When babies start moving around is a good time to re-check all the baby proofing.

Harmful things were put out of reach, outlet covers were put one, cords were all put away, no strings on blinds, etc.  

I felt like once my twins started walking and climbing is when I had to baby proof – or toddler proof – even more.  Now that they are 25 months, this is where we are with toddler-proofing our home.  

Turn The Baby Proofing Up a Notch or Few

My house was already baby proof and I really didn’t think I could baby proof it anymore!  

Boy, was I wrong.  Now our house is like a blank slate.

It keeps me sane though and worry-free for the most part.  Although I do wish I could decorate my house like my friends who don’t have twin toddlers.  I have so many ideas on my Pinterest Home Decor board waiting to happen.  Do you have one of those home decor boards? One day it will happen, but not anytime soon.

I do like my twins having access to “safe” items.  Basically anything soft and toddler-friendly that they can’t choke on -because they do need to learn boundaries at some point and “play” with real-life items.  This would include things like towels, their clothes, non-breakable kitchen utensils, and cups, you get the idea.

 

Here are my baby proofing tips I did in my home for my twin toddlers

 

1. Potential Harmful/Toxic Items

All harmful things go up way high in a cabinet in our hall or high up in the garage.  Make sure they cannot climb or open cabinets and reach to get them.

• Here’s a list of what’s put up at our house:  toothpaste, mouthwash, medicine/prescriptions/vitamins, floss, razors, cleaning supplies, dishwasher soap, laundry soap, strings, rubber bands, plastic bags, hand sanitizer, make-up and beauty supplies, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, body wash, scissors, essential oils, sunscreen, batteries, string/belts/rope, and small things that could be a choking hazard.  These are things at my house, you might have more or less.
• My purse, wallets, kids backpacks, etc. that could have harmful stuff (like coins, pens, and hand sanitizer) also go up high on a hook.  Also, make sure guests don’t leave their purses where your toddler could get the items out.
• Basically, anything they could choke on, sharp items, or harmful things they could ingest.  If something falls in this category it’s put way up high where they have no access to.

Bathroom Items Go Up High – All of them except our non-toxic hand soap (which is pushed way far in the back of the counter)

Yes, all of our toothpaste is up high in a cabinet in the hall closet and kitchen cabinet.

My nine-year-old and toddlers actually brush their teeth in the kitchen because I know where the toothpaste is at all times!

One of my twins really likes toothpaste so even pushing it way back on the counter didn’t work- he always found a way. It was annoying to do this at first, and with everything in general.  But now we are used to it.

My bathroom drawers and cabinets are completely empty.  Because that’s less mess for me to clean from them getting everything out.  I don’t have the energy to clean up another “dumped out” drawer – maybe you can relate.

You may need a toilet lock – our house is small so I know if they are in the bathroom.  We’ve talked A LOT about not playing in the toilet so it’s not an issue anymore for us.

Kitchen Items

My kitchen items that could be harmful go up high in the kitchen cabinet.  This includes things like dishwasher soap, knives, peelers, slicers, scissors, leftover plastic grocery bags, anything glass.

All of our breakable, heavy dishes are up in the high cabinets where my toddlers cannot get to them.

I have thought about putting the drawer locks on the cabinets but I’m afraid they’ll figure that out when I’m not looking.  Twins are pretty successful when working together. They have taken off a cabinet lock on their own, so I just don’t use those for things that could be harmful to them.  Using something like that for towels or something would be great, and I do that in the kitchen.

Laundry Room

Our washer and dryer are in our garage so having access to a laundry room isn’t an issue for us. And all of our soap and other laundry supplies go up high on a shelf above the washer and dryer.

Make sure all laundry items (soap pods, fabric softer, soap, etc.) go up high and out of reach where your toddler can’t climb and get to them.  Also, make sure lids are secure on all items.

You will have to organize and put the harmful/toxic items in a place that is convenient for you and works for your family!

2. Took Away All Chairs (and climbing objects) 

Does your toddler love to climb?  Mine sure do.

Okay, this one sounds a little extreme, I know.  And not everyone will probably have to do this. But we had to resort to removing all of our kitchen table chairs several months ago and still kind of do (started around 15 months old and they are now 25 months).  

Right now we have no kitchen chairs at our table.  They are all in the garage (which is right next to our kitchen, so easy access if we need one).  Oh, and we also have no high chairs.  They figured out how to wiggle out of those.  I don’t really remember having these problems with my first child.  Maybe it’s just a twin thing (or sibling thing, when they work together.).

 My boys have been using the chairs to climb onto the counters in the kitchen, and it’s just a big thing that worries me, so I had to take them away.

If you have a big climber check every possible thing they could climb on to get up on something.

Pick Your Battles

I could keep telling them no, don’t do that or try to get them to do something else, but for some reason, they don’t like to listen to that.  So, instead of putting up a battle with them, the chairs are gone.

We will be able to bring them back (hopefully) soon when I am able to reason with them a little better.  I just have to keep telling myself it won’t be like this forever.

Look for anything your toddler can climb on to.  I had to put away all their riding cars in the garage (now I just take them out when they drive them), and also things like their toy barn, toy microwave, and their little toy houses.  

They were started to get creative about what they could use to climb. Usually, they don’t want to climb so much when we’ve played outside at the park or in the backyard and have climbed a lot- so it’s a sign they need more of that when they are doing this for sure!

3. Don’t have any fragile decorative items 

Okay, another extreme one, but again it keeps me sane during the day and fighting fewer battles with them about what to touch and not to touch.

Everything in our house is pretty much kid friendly, and not off limits to them.

We took down all of our glass frames.  I just worry that they will knock one down (or throw something at it)  and glass will be everywhere. One day I hope to get some….sigh.

But we do have some frames from Ikea which have plastic instead of glass.  

We have no glass decor, okay really we have no decor right now.  We moved into our house a year and a half ago and got rid of basically everything except our basic needs (or so it feels like).  Our living room has a couch and a shelf with toddler toys and books (that’s it). And our tv, which is attached to the wall.  Make sure your tv is secure either to a wall with a mount or straps like these.

Our house is very minimalist (excluding toddler toys, which we have way too much of), not really on purpose, but out of necessity. 

It’s always a good idea to put toys that are visible down where they can reach them, to prevent them from climbing and trying to reach them.  We use a storage shelf like this for our toys in the living room (just make sure it’s attached to the wall securely).  It’s at their height so they can reach their toys and I can organize their toys into categories. It also doesn’t look too kid-ish in our living room.

4. Keep Electronics Out of Reach

Our fireplace has a baby gate around it and I thought it would be gone by now.  This one is nice because they can’t really reach their arms through to touch it (it’s lasted us a year and a half with our twins so it’s VERY sturdy- even though it might not seem like it).  Behind the gate is our tv mounted on the wall, and all the electronics that go with it.

There’s cords, batteries, and things that are not safe for them right now.  Maybe when they’re 3 we’ll take it down. Sometimes they figure out how to climb over the gate with their toys as a booster (and then I remember why the gate is still up).

Make sure your outlets are covered.  It doesn’t hurt to have them on so I will just keep mine on for a long time.

5. Alarms on All Entries

This is a life saver for me.  It really gives me peace of mind.

We have an alarm system on our entire house.  I get alerted (by a really loud sound on our device and cellphone)  whenever a window or door opens or closes.  It also lets me know what doors and windows are open (or closed).

This makes me feel better about them sleeping in their room or playing in their room by themselves.  Not that they have figured out how to open the window yet, or that they would even climb out. It gives me a better peace of mind knowing they have less of chance escaping out the front (especially once they figure out how to open the front and back door).

If you don’t have an alarm system on your house that alerts you, they make alarms that you can put on windows or doors.  If I didn’t have an alarm system I would definitely use these.  Just make sure to replace batteries and check they are working every now and again.

6. Secure All Dressers and Shelves to the Wall

Surprisingly, my boys aren’t big into climbing shelves and dressers, maybe because they like to climb everything else.  But it is still so important to attach these securely to a wall with something like this.

My twins tried climbing in their dresser drawer once and I told them how dangerous it was and it could tip over and fall and cause a big owie.  I made a really big deal out of it, and haven’t really seen them do it since.  

7. Toddler Proof your Yard and Garage

I make sure my backyard is toddler-friendly, with no harmful substances or sharp objects like nails, glass, etc.  

It’s important to look for mushrooms and other poisonous plants that they could ingest. I also dump out any stale water that has been sitting, for example in our water table.  

My back yard is also completely gated off so they can’t go anywhere.  If neighbours have dogs make sure they can’t put their arms and hands through the gate.

Rocks were a major thing my toddlers like to put in their mouths. They would find ones just the right size to fit in their mouths. They have pretty much outgrown this thankfully because we have a lot of rocks in our yard.  

It’s also important to put up all toxic substances/items in the garage or shed where your toddler can’t get to them and open them.  We put all things like that way up high out of reach with secure lids.  Just make sure they can’t climb up and reach them.

8.  Close doors where you don’t want them going in to

For example the bathroom.  I keep my bathroom empty just in case they do get in.  But I don’t want them playing in the toilet water (could be a drowning hazard, too) or turning on the bathtub (burn and drown risk).

The bathroom is off limits for my twins unless an adult is in there with them.  It’s taking a lot of training but they are getting better about not going in.  In the meantime, they have door handle safety for toddlers and toilet locks that you could use.

Another room that is off limits is my older child’s room.  If you have an older child it can be kind of tricky because you want them to have access to their things, which may not be toddler safe.

Most of his stuff I try to put up and away from where they can’t see it.  If you don’t hear your kids for a couple of minutes it’s always good to go check-  that’s when they are usually doing something they shouldn’t be- at least mine!).  But try to find a safe place to put their things where they can still have access to it.

Our house is small so I know exactly what room they are in at all times.  But I could see it being a bigger problem if we had a larger house.

9. Stairs/Multiple Stories

We live in a one-story ranch, so I can’t really give any tips on stairs and railings, but I’m sure that would be a topic if we lived in a two-story.  I know there are a lot of products out there for baby/toddler proofing a multiple story house and I know I would need them (baby gates at both top and bottom of a stairway, rail guards, window locks, etc.)!

10.  Pools/Hot Tubs (Water in General)

We don’t have a pool or hot tub or any other access to water.  I’ve read it only takes an inch or two to be able to drown in water – so I’m very cautious of any water – even in buckets.  If you have any access to water, whether a pool, hot tub, ditches with water, streams or a lake, take extra precaution and toddler proof those areas.  My boys are water lovers so I’m always extra cautious when we are near water.  Here’s a link about water safety.

11.  Christmas and the Holidays

Once babies start moving and crawling is when you have to be cautious of what decorations you have out for the holidays.  Put away fragile items they can access or break, sharp items, and small items they could ingest.  

I will be buying only shatterproof ornaments (yes they make them) for the next couple of years – since we’ve broken about 14 ornaments so far in the last two days.  

Honestly, this is the first year we have had a full-size tree in 2 years.  And just a week ago my one of my twins stepped on an ornament hanger and it went into his foot – so now those are gone!  The ornaments with the string work great!

We are just doing a small scale artificial tree this year.  I worry about a large real tree falling over on them from them pulling on it.

Last year when the twins were one year old we had a mini tree put up high on a ledge.  Kept me sane and we still had decoration!  

Your Baby or Toddler Proofing Might Look Different for You

Most of these Toddler Proofing tips depend on your toddler(s).  I know I didn’t have to do most of these with my first child, but he was a lot less active and there was only one of him.  With these tips though, you can’t go wrong and it won’t hurt to be over prepared.

I am pretty much always right there with my children (but sometimes I like to go to the bathroom by myself or I’m in the kitchen making meals and one of them is down the hall).  All of these tips are for extra precaution.  Having twins (or multiple little ones) is hard because one might be in one room while the other is in another room.

UPDATE:  My Twins are now 2 years and 8 months old and we have been able to add back the kitchen chairs.  The climbing on the counters is pretty much done!  But now they are even more active and don’t like to sit in their stroller so we are working on hand-holding in public or staying seated in shopping carts.  It’s always going to be something new, once something else is figured out.  And I’ve also hung up picture frames – I just removed the glass.

You Are Their Best Teacher

Of course, nothing can replace you being right there and that is where they will learn from you about safety and it’s good to talk about it with them.  If they try climbing onto the counter, instead of just saying no, explain to them why they can’t do that (“It’s dangerous because you could fall and hurt yourself”, etc.).  With enough repetition, they will start to make connections.

Remember – it won’t be like this forever.  Right now, their safety and well being is my number one priority – so being over prepared and going above and beyond is worth it.  Toddlers are quick and can figure things out – so it’s good to be prepared.  It only takes a second of looking away!

I hope these tips can help you toddler-proof your house, and help you to be able to relax a bit more.  Always keep these Toddler Proofing ideas in mind, too, if they are going to be spending time in someone else’s house.  I would love to hear your ideas about what you do to toddler-proof your home.  Did I miss anything on the list?  

Looking for Ideas To Keep Your Toddler Busy and Having Fun (so they stay occupied and out of all the cabinets)?

Check these out!

Easy Toddler Indoor Activities

Easy Edible Cookie Sheet Sensory Play